Getting in bed with Wynn.....

DeMaria asks Menino, Curtatone to back off Everett casino plan

Posted by Marcia Dick August 9, 2013

 

 

By Kathy McCabe, Globe Staff

EVERETT - Mayor Carlo DeMaria Jr. on Friday accused Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino of trying "to bully" his city and state gaming officials to boost Suffolk Downs's bid to win a casino license.

"It is no secret that Mayor Menino, a man I hold a deep respect for, holds a great deal of power and influence," DeMaria said, reading from prepared remarks at a morning news conference. "But for him to attempt to bully the City of Everett, the gaming officials, and state officials into submission to gain a political advantage for Suffolk Downs is something that I could not stand idly by and allowed to go unchecked."

DeMaria spoke where Las Vegas developer Steve Wynn proposes to build a $1 billion resort casino on a former Monsanto chemical factory site on the Mystic River.

Menino, responding during a separate event in Boston, said: "I'm not bullying, I'm just trying to protect the residents of our city, especially Charlestown. If that's bullying, then too bad.”

Menino has said recently that a portion of the property lies in Boston, which could allow the city to be considered a host community under the state's gambling law.

But DeMaria dismissed that notion, as he spoke surrounded by Everett casino supporters.

"Let me be clear: Everett is the sole host community for this development," he said.

He also took aim at Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone, a fierce opponent of casino gambling, who this week launched an effort to repeal the state gambling law through a ballot initiative in 2014.

"I am disappointed that Mayor Curtatone seeks to derail a project that could revolutionize my community while refusing to acknowledge that his own development on his city's side of the [Mystic] river will have an impact on Everett."

DeMaria was referring to Assembly Row, a massive retail, residential, and entertainment development now under construction in Somerville.

DeMaria called on both Menino and Curtatone to reconsider their positions.

"Hypocrisy and politics will not help move our region forward, and I call on both men, my friends and colleagues, to collaborate constructively with us, not blindly obstruct."

Spokesmen for Menino and Curtatone could not immediately be reached for comment on Friday.

http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/everett/2013/08/demaria_says_everett_casino.html?camp=misc%3Aon%3Afb-page%3AHLeastboston&dlvrit=187023

Casino bill 'worst decision this Commonwealth ever made'

Why is it that some politicians possess WISDOM?

Why is it we have so few?

Somerville mayor: Casino bill 'worst decision this Commonwealth ever made'

 

July 12, 2013

 

By Jarret Bencks, Town Correspondent

Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone reiterated his stance against a casino near Somerville, but said Thursday the community needs to prepare for the possibility that a proposal across the Mystic River in Everett becomes a reality.

"I will do everything in my power, along with you and the public, to fight a casino near this community," Curtatone told aldermen Thursday night.

Curtatone said he believed legalizing casino gambling was "the worst decision this Commonwealth has ever made."

"There are going to be a lot of sad personal stories," he said. "I think we all understand what happens."

But Curtatone said he believed the Everett proposal has a leg up on Suffolk Downs, the other site vying for the greater Boston casino license, because the Everett proposal has received local approval.

"I don't know what is going to happen," Curtatone said Thursday. "I have a deep and grave concern."
Curtatone said he intended to take a "dual track" approach to the proposed casino, on the one hand trying to fight its development, and on the other trying to ensure that environmental impacts are addressed and Somerville receives maximum mitigation should the project become a reality.

In June, Curtatone submitted a petition to FBT Everett Realty, the company that owns the contaminated 35-acre plot along the Mystic River where Steve Wynn aims to build a casino, seeking to designate the land a Public Involvement Plan Site. Such a requirement could provide residents of neighboring communities an opportunity to voice their opinions on how the site is developed.

Thursday he announced he would begin holding regular meetings to discuss the latest developments of the casino proposal with city officials and representatives from Federal Realty Investment Trust -- the developer of Assembly Row, a large mixed-use development across the Mystic River from the proposed casino site that has received $130 million in public funds.

Curtatone has been a vocal opponent of casinos in the state, and previously said he would do everything in his power to prevent one from coming near Somerville.

Jarret Bencks can be reached at bencks.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on twitter @JarretBencks.

http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/somerville/2013/07/somerville_mayor_casino_bill_worst_decision_this_commonwealt.html